Bangor committee eyes major bus study, smoking ban

BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor City Council’s government operations committee on Monday evening will discuss the funding and scope of a comprehensive study on Bangor’s bus system and the potential relocation of hubs such as the one in Pickering Square.

Meanwhile, the Bangor Parks and Recreation Committee and the Public Health Advisory Board will present a proposal to the government operations panel to regulate tobacco use in public parks.

The government operations committee will discuss accepting and appropriating a Maine Department of Transportation planning grant for $31,250 to fund the bus study, which will look at alternatives to the current transit system hub at Pickering Square, which is no longer big enough to handle demand, as well as larger buses the city has incorporated into its fleet.

City officials and staff members have also voiced a desire to possibly relocate the Pickering Square hub in connection with a preliminary plan to add parking and redesign the square to make it more pedestrian- and motorist-friendly.

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The joint committee on smoking at public parks unanimously recommended drafting an ordinance that would prohibit tobacco use in all city parks and recreational facilities, except for Bangor Municipal Golf Course.